Coast elected officials briefed on RESTORE Act at Gulfport meeting

View full sizeTrudy Fisher, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Environmetnal Quality, outlines the RESTORE Act to coast elected official Friday morning, July 13, in Gulfport, Mississippi. (Harlan Kirgan/Press-Register)

GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Mississippi Gulf Coast elected officials were briefed Friday morning by Trudy Fisher, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, on the RESTORE Act that directs civil fine money from the BP oil spill to the five affected states.

The RESTORE Act guarantees that 80 percent of Clean Water Act violation fines and penalties paid by BP and other responsible parties in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be directed to Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Texas.

Fisher outlined how the plan for apportioning and using the $5 billion to $20 billion possible in fines.

Fisher is leading a team named by Gov. Phil Byrant to guide Mississippi's implementation of the RESTORE Act in the state.

Others on the team are Bill Walker, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; Mark Henry, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security; and Brent Christensen, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

The team is also to make recommendations on an advisory panel consisting of elected officials from the Gulf Coast. Panel members will help identify recovery priorities.